AIRFIELD

Hardwick,
the RAF and USAAF

RAF
Hardwick is a former World War II airfield in England. The field
is located near the village of Topcroft ,
5 miles (8 km) west of Bungay in Norfolk and
a similar distance from the A140 main road from Norwich to Ipswich.
(See MAPS page).

Hardwick
Airfield was one of the early USAAF heavy bomber airfields constructed
for the RAF during 1941-42 in the East
Anglian area. It was built by John
Laing & Son Ltd., and required 4 miles (6 km) of surface
drains (French drains), 13 miles (19 km) of drains, 13 miles
(19 km) of roads, 5 miles (8 km) of sewers and 7 (11 km) of water
mains. A total of 4,750,000 bricks were used in the construction
of the camp.

Three main runways were
laid in concrete, each 50 yards (46m) wide, and 1,975 yards (1808m),
1,400 yards (1280m), and 1,400 yards (1280m) long. Total
area of concrete* in runways, perimeter
track and aircraft dispersal points was 550,000 square yards
(113 acres, 459870m2, 46 hectares). Cost: $4,400,000 in
1942. Like other heavy bomber fields originally planned
for RAF needs and begun at the same time, this airfield had three T-2
hangars grouped together on the administrative and technical
site, in this case on the eastern side of the airfield. The technical
site was adjacent to the hangars and bordered the country road
running from Hempnall to Alburgh.

On the eastern side of
this road lay the major part of the camp with domestic sites
hidden amongst woodland. One site was located at Topcroft Street.
All accommodation was of the temporary type, mostly Nissen/Quonset huts
. The bomb dump was situated off the north-west corner
of the airfield in and adjacent to Spring Wood.

The photo below shows
the main runways at Hardwick Airfield but not the accommodation
area where the 93rd Bomb Group
Museum is sited. The accommodation area is to
the east/right of the map along the road marked 'to Topcroft
Street'. See also the MAPS page.

The 1942
aerial photo below overlaid
on a 2011 map. (Permisson of Nick Stone,
see his Geomapping pages).

Hardwick
airfield in 2012

In 2017 Hardwick airfield is still in use: runway
13-31 and an adjacent grass strip 17-35. There is a further grass
airstrip at Airfield Farm, slightly to the east.